SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Arima Genomics, Inc., a biotechnology company aiming to accelerate the understanding of genome sequence and structure, announced today that its Arima-HiC sample preparation platform has been selected by the Genome 10K (G10K) consortium to generate chromosomal-level phased, reference-quality genomes as part of the consortium’s effort to understand the true nature of diversity and species evolution.

After a thorough evaluation of multiple providers of HiC library preparation products and services, the G10K Council and its Chair Erich Jarvis, Rockefeller University Professor and HHMI Investigator, agreed to contract with Arima Genomics HiC services. “Arima’s selection was based on their HiC data quality, the cost-effective nature of Arima’s services, and the team’s spirit of open collaboration and transparency,” said Olivier Fedrigo, Director of Vertebrate Genomics Laboratory at the Rockefeller University. “We were consistently impressed by the quality and usefulness of the data Arima generated.”

Under the agreement, samples will be shipped to the company’s lab in San Diego for Arima-HiC library preparation that will be subsequently sequenced using Illumina short-read sequencing. Arima Genomics will return the Arima-HiC datasets to the G10K consortium, where they will be used in conjunction with datasets from Pacific Biosciences, 10X Genomics, and BioNano Genomics to construct reference quality genome assemblies for over 260 species representing all vertebrate orders (Vertebrate Genomes Project). The VGP has been working with other technology providers for potential use in future phases. The VGP is also being used as a model for the developing Earth BioGenome Project, an effort to sequence all 1.5 million eukaryotic species during the next 10 years, led by G10K Councilmember Harris Lewin among others.

The G10K Project was established in 2009 by David Haussler of the UC Santa Cruz Genome Institute, Oliver Ryder of the San Diego Institute for Conservation Research, and Stephen J. O’Brien, Director of the Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, at Saint Petersburg State University, Russia. With a mission to understand the evolution of animal life through changes in DNA, the project aims to sequence the genome of at least one individual from each vertebrate genus, comprising of approximately 10,000 genomes.

Arima Genomics plans to commercialize its Arima-HiC library preparation kit in 2018. The decision followed a successful Beta Testing program last year where each of the 15 Beta Testing sites was able to consistently generate high quality and high complexity HiC libraries across a variety of sample types and species. These signal-enriched Arima-HiC libraries led to accurate genome assembly and chromatin conformation results at reduced sequencing depth. “The Arima-HiC kit is a rapid 6-hour protocol that is easy to use, allowing us to generate libraries in challenging samples,” said David Jiang, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Corporate Development at Novogene Corporation. “Using this kit, we were able to consistently generate high quality HiC sequencing data and analyze it via open source tools for the purposes of assembling genomes de novo and functional studies.”

As part of the continued plan to bring the Arima-HiC kit to market, Arima Genomics today announced an Early Access Program for the Arima-HiC kit. Users who register for the program will be able to benefit from Arima’s HiC platform as early as February 1st 2018. “Our mission is to enable labs around the world to access affordable and easy-to-use technologies that will accelerate the understanding of genome sequence and structure, driving scientific discoveries across multiple areas, from species evolution to human disease,” said Siddarth Selvaraj, CEO of Arima Genomics. “With the selection of Arima’s HiC platform by the Genome 10K consortium and customer validated results from our Beta Testing program, we are confident that our Arima-HiC library preparation kit is a significant step towards this mission.”

About Arima Genomics

Arima Genomics, Inc. is a biotechnology company that aims to accelerate the understanding of genome sequence and structure. To register for the Early Access Program and to learn more, please contact eap@arimagenomics.com and visit www.arimagenomics.com.

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